Funding the Fun Makers – I Kill Monsters

In the traditions of Van Helsing, Hellboy and even the Frog brothers, and new web series follows a quirky team of Monster hunters

by Sam Proof May 10th, 2011

I Kill Monsters is the brain child of Neil Huber and Desmond Sargeant, a Toronto based team that previously made the web series ‘Andy and the Upside’

IKM teams up Alan Catlin(Goren aka ‘GO’ the baseball bat wielding lead), Jenny Raven (Piper) Kyle Buchanan (Luke) and the mystery character known as ‘Voice Box’ who doesn’t seem to appear on the web yet.

The Team, G&B Monster Agency, is met with both accolades and vilification.

Ogre devouring your livestock? Demon possessing a family member? Werewolf howl keeping you up? Vampire attacking you on your way to night class? Don’t worry, the professionals at G&B Monster Agency are here to help.

I got in touch with Creator Neil Huber who had this to say about the production:

1) There have been a lot of Monster Hunter shows, what does IKM bring that's new to this genre?

What sets I Kill Monsters apart from other "monster hunter" shows on the web and beyond is the angle at which we're coming at it from. Most shows that we've seen, tend to make a spectacle of the “slaying”, with I Kill Monsters, the spectacle of fighting these bizarre creatures quickly loses it’s wonder, and their work becomes routine. They punch in and out of the clock like you would with any other job. A very blue-collar approach to business, they could probably be classified under “paranormal garbage men”, but the characters in I Kill Monsters are very good at what they do, and every once in a while, they aren’t afraid to prove it.

2) With the trailer, and all the pictures it looks like you've actually started production, your fundraiser however stats you're not starting till July 1st. How much time and effort have you put in to this project to get to the point your already at?

We originally filmed a promo a while back that we cut down to the trailer you see now. We did this mainly as a means to generate some buzz and to show to potential financiers and sponsors. A little while after, Al Magee (Trailer Park Boys, Little Mosque on the Prairie, Slings and Arrows), a well-respected creative consultant, story editor and executive producer came onto the project. Since then, a lot of work and thought has been put into crafting the world and stories of I Kill Monsters, with production for the series beginning on August 8, 2011 and a launch date of October 31, 2011.

3) You've worked with Desmond on Andy and the Upside, and other projects. Who's brain child is this?

Desmond and I created the concept of I Kill Monsters together a little over 2 years ago now, where it first began as three webisodes, then it became a short film, then a television pilot, and then finally back to a webseries. Ever since it’s inception, it’s been the passion project that we’ve championed in between our other projects.

4) Tell us about the cast

We are incredibly fortunate to have the cast that we do. I Kill Monsters, first and foremost, is a comedy and having actors like Al Catlin (Debra! – Family Channel), Jenny Raven (Majority Rules – Teletoon), Kyle Buchanan (Dark Rising 2), Siobhan Murphy (Men with Brooms – CBC) and Randy Thomas (Connor Undercover – Family Channel) makes our jobs easier. They are all talented actors in their own right and each bring a slightly different style of comedy that helps build the heart and hilarity within I Kill Monsters.

5) On the technical side, How many episodes will be in the season and how long are the episodes going to be?

The first season of I Kill Monsters is going to be around 12 x 5 minute webisodes, but because of budget restrictions, we will go into production in 4 webisode blocks at a time.

6) IKM is touted as 'comedy, drama, horror and sci-fi' – how scary/gorey is it going to be? What type of humor is it? and how do you think one lends itself to the other?

The world of I Kill Monsters will be a mix of genuine horror, unconventional humor, awkward charm and heart-wrenching drama. The use of otherworldly creatures is really just the top layer for what is essentially a character driven story about a makeshift family coming together under bizarre circumstances. We feel the subtle mix of genres in I Kill Monsters will only help the audience fall in love with it’s characters and hopefully care about their well being when monsters rear their ugly heads.

7) We never really see a monster in the trailer, will we see them in the series? Or will they be hidden in shadows and/or slightly off screen, etc?

We filmed the original promo/trailer with a VERY small budget, because of that, we were quite limited in terms of what monsters we could include and how much of said monsters could actually be shown. The web series itself will feature monsters in all their glory. I mean, the show is called I Kill Monsters, we’d be considered liars if we didn’t show some gruesome looking monsters meeting their doom at the end of Go’s bat.

8) What are your web based inspirations for what you do?

There aren’t very many direct web based inspirations for I Kill Monsters but the list of films could go on forever. Ghostbusters, Evil Dead, Indiana Jones, Night of the Living Dead, American Werewolf in London etc. have all inspired us in regards to both I Kill Monsters and many of our other projects.

9) What was the funniest thing to happen while filming the trailer?

We filmed the trailer over a three-day period in Waterloo, Ontario in the dead of winter. One night we were filming an exterior scene at an antique store and needless to say, it was cold. I’m talking 7 layers, blue skin, teeth chatteringly cold. Now while the cast and crew were slowly becoming human popsicles, the 80-year-old owner of the store stood un-phased by the cold. A pillar of manliness, we then realized, we would never be. He was probably a vampire.

10) Why did you choose to fund raise via Indiegogo?

Although IndieGoGo is only a portion of our fund raising effort, we chose it specifically because of its fantastic reputation. We’ve also had huge interest from individuals looking to help out and get involved so we figured IndieGoGo would be the best and most direct way for them to do that.

Donator perks vary from Buttons and T-shirts to Headstones and Baseball Bats (Go’s weapon of choice).

It’s pretty impressive looking production, with a untraditional cast and very polished look. I for one can’t wait until Halloween and I think they’ll have no problem meeting their funding goals of $10,000 in the next 50 days.

Pre-Production and online presence have already begun but Production is scheduled for a August 8, 2011 start and a series launch date is scheduled for October 31, 2011.